Base nose hook lock for display stands

ABSTRACT

THE INVENTION RELATES TO A DISPLAY STAND OF A TYPE COMMONLY FOUND IN DEPARTMENT STORES AND WHICH HAS TWO GENERAL FORMS KNOWN AS WALL CASES AND GONDOLAS. THIS TYPE OF DISPLAY STAND HAS A BASE OR PLATFORM HAVING A HEIGHT OF ABOUT 6 OR 8 INCHES FROM THE FLOOR. THE BASE CUSTOMARILY HAS A BASE NOSE WHICH HAS THE GENERAL FORM OF A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING, ROUNDED-OFF PROTRUSION EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF THE BASE AND FORMING A TOE SPACE THEREBENEATH. THE INVENTION IS DIRECTED TO A SPECIFIC CONSTRUCTION FOR THE BASE NOSE AND ITS ATTACHMENT TO THE BASE, WHEREIN A PAIR OF GENERALLY SEMICIRCULAR SHAPED BRACKETS ARE ATTACHED BY HOOK MEANS TO VERTICAL FLANGES ON SPACED APART BASE ARMS, AND A NOSE SHELL HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE CORRESPONDING TO THE SHAPE OF THE BRACKETS IS MOUNTED IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BRACKETS.   THE NOSE SHELL IS ATTACHED TO THE BASE ARMS BY TAB MEANS RECEIVED IN SLOTS IN HORIZONTAL FLANGES ON THE BASE ARMS.

United States Patent l 13,587,867

[72] Inventor Jay G. Fenwick 3,101,681 8/1963 Streater..... v 211/148X Albert Lea. Minn. 3,130,693 4/1964 Shell 211/148X [21 843024 Primary ExaminerRamon S. Britts [22] Had July 1969 Attorney-Wayne B Easton [45] Patented June 28.1971 I {73] Assignee Streater industries, Inc.

Albert Lea, Minn. l

[54] BASE NOSE HOOK LOCK FOR DISPLAY STANDS 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 211/183, 211/148, 248/223, 248/300 {51] Int. Cl A471 5/00 [50] FleldolSearch 211/183 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,956,688 10/1960 Galassi 1. 108/108 ABSTRACT: The invention relates to a display stand of a type commonly found in department stores and which has two general forms known as wall cases and gondolas. This type of display stand has a base or platform having a height of about 6 or 8 inches from the floor. The base customarily has a base nose which has the general form of a longitudinally extending, rounded-off protrusion extending from the upper portion of the base and forming a toe space therebeneath. The invention is directed to a specific construction for the base nose and its attachment to the base, wherein a pair of generally semicircular shaped brackets are attached by hook means to vertical flanges on spaced apart base arms, and a nose shell having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the shape of the brackets is mounted in engagement with the brackets. The nose shell is attached to the base arms by tab means received in slots in horizontal flanges on the base arms BASE NOSE HOOK LOCK FOR DISPLAY STANDS The invention relates to a new and improved display stand of a type commonly found in department stores and which has two general forms known as wall cases and gondolas.

This type of display'stand has a base or platform having a height of about 6 or 8 inches from the floor. It is customary to provide a base nose for the platform which has the general form of a longitudinally extending, rounded off protrusion extending from the upper portion of the base and forming a toe space therebeneath.

The invention is directed to, and it is a main object of the invention to provide, a new. and improved base nose assembly which is sturdy and rigid in construction and which affords simplicity and economy in the manufacture thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following specification, drawings and appended claims.

In the drawings: r

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a wall-type display stand having a base nose of the type to which the invention is directed; 4

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing one corner of the frame structure, including the base nose, of the display stand shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective partially exploded view of the frame structure of the display stand shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the base nose bracket and a portion of the base arm of the display stand shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, there are shown fragmentary perspective views of a wall-type display stand and parts thereof which comprises a pair of slotted, spaced-apart vertical standards 4 and 6 separated by and attached to a slotted brace member 7. A pair of base arms 8 and 10 are attached to the standards 4 and 6 and the outer ends of the base arms are joined by a kick plate 12. A backboard 14 is disposed between the standards 4 and 6 with the board 14 being retained in the illustrated position by reason of being inserted in mutually facing slots in the standards and an upwardly facing slot in the brace member 7. A base nose 16 extends across the upper portion of the kick plate 12 and is attached to the outer ends of the base arms 8 and 10. A floor panel 18 having rectangular dimensions approximately the same as the rectangularly shaped area defined by brace 7, base arms 8 and 10, and kick plate 12 is mounted or attached immediately above the base arms by means which are not shown and which have no bearing on the invention.

Base arms 8 and 10 are identical to each other except that one is the mirror image of the other. A description of one base arm such as base arm 8 will thus also serve as a description of the other base arm 10. The same numerals will be used for the respective parts of both base arms except that the numerals for the base arm 10 have prime designations. This will also be true for brackets 30 and 32 described further on herein. Base arm 8 is of sheet metal construction with a generally rectangular shape and has hooks at the inboard end thereof which are insertable into vertically arranged slots 20 in the vertical standard 4. Base arm 8 has horizontal and vertical flanges 22 an 24 both of which extend laterally inwardly towards the other base arm 10. The vertical flanges 24 and 24' have horizontally extending slots 26 and 26' at their upper ends thereof having the same elevation. The horizontal flanges 22 and 22 have a pair ofslots 28 and 28' at their outboard ends.

Base nose 16 may be formed of sheet metal, is longitudinally extending and has a cross section which has a generally semicircular shape. As illustrated, base nose 16 is formed with bends and overlapping portions for both aesthetic and strengthening purposes.

A pair of brackets 30 and 32 are utilized in connection with fastening the base nose 16 to the ends of the base arms 8 and 10. Brackets 30 and 32 are identical to each other except that one is the mirror image of the other and they thus do not have to be described separately. Bracket 30 has a generally semicircular portion 34 and a vertical flange 36 normal thereto. A hook 38 extends horizontally and upwardly from the upper end of the bracket flange 36. By tilting the bracket 30, the hook 38 may be inserted in the flange slot 28 and the hook will then function to hold the bracket in the position indicated in FIG. 4 wherein the bracket flange 36 is in abutting engagement with the base arm flange 24'.

Bracket flange 36' is wider than the base arm flange 24' and has a rectangularly shaped opening 40' having one side thereof aligned with the inner edge of the vertical flange 24' leaving a stri of material adjacent thereto. The strip of material has a crimp 42' projecting in the direction of the flange 24. Crimp 42' serves to locate and providelateral stability for the bracket 32.

Brackets 30 and 32 each has a short horizontally extending flange 44 extending inwardly from the upper edge thereof. The flange 44 has a cutout locating tab portion 46 which is inclined upwardly and rearwardly relative to the flange. Brackets 30 and 32 each has a short vertically extending flange extending inwardly from the outer vertical edge of its midsection. 1

Base nose 16 is shaped by bending to conform to the contours of the brackets 30 and 32. In general, base nose 16 has elongated horizontal and vertical panels 50 and 52 which have abutting engagement with bracket flanges 44 and 46. The upper edge 54 of base nose 16 has at opposite ends thereof two hooks or tabs 56 and 58 each having horizontally and vertically extending portions. After the brackets 30 and 32 are attached to the base arms 8 and 10 as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 4, the base nose 16 is attached by tilting it so that the hooks 56 and 58 engage the base arm slots 28 and 28' and then allowing it to pivot until the panel 48 thereof abuts bracket flanges 44 and 44' and the panel 52 thereof engages bracket flanges 46 and 46'. Base nose panel 50 has rectangularly shaped slots 60 and 62 at opposite ends thereof having the same nominal widths as the locating tabs 46 and 46' of the bracket flanges 44 and 44. With the base nose 16 in its assembled position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the locating tabs 46 and 46' protrude through the slots 60 and 62 to locate and provide lateral stability for the base nose relative to the brackets 30 and 32 and the base arms 8 and 10.

Base arm flanges 24 and 24' have hooks 64 and 64 approximately midway between the ends thereof which have horizontally and vertically extending portions. Hooks 64 and 64' open upwardly to receive the lower edge 66 of the base nose 16. Enough play or clearance is allowed between the base nose hooks 56 and 58 and the base arm flange slots 28 and 28' so that the base nose 16 may be lifted a small distance in the vertical direction so that the lower edge 66 thereof may clear the hooks 64 and 64' during the assembly and disassembly operations. Hooks 64 and 64' provide vertical support for the base nose 16 while the base nose hooks 56 and 58 prevent pivotal movement of the base nose relative to the hooks 64 and 64'.

Iclaim:

l. A display stand comprising a pair of parallel horizontally extending spaced-apart base arms each having a horizontal flange and a vertical flange, each of said vertical flanges having a horizontally extending slot with said slots having the same elevation, a first bracket having a generally semicircular portion and a vertical flange normal thereto, said bracket flange having a horizontally and upwardly extending hook, a second bracket formed as the mirror image of said first bracket, said bracket hooks being inserted in said slots, said base arm horizontal flanges each having a slot to form a pair of slots, a generally semicircularly shaped longitudinally extending nose shell, said shell having a tab extending vertically from each end of the upper edge thereof, said tabs being inserted in said pair of slots of said base arm horizontal flanges, said shell engaging said first and second brackets with the cross section of said shell generally corresponding to the profile of the generally semicircular portions of said brackets.

2. A display stand according to claim I wherein said base arm vertical flanges each has a upwardly extending hook to vertical flanges leaving a strip of material adjacent thereto, said strip of material being crimped in the direction of said vertical flange to locate and provide lateral stability for said brackets. 

